The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-09-10
MAKING OF CHARCOAL.

Charcoal is a compound of the Russian
and Anglo-Saxon tongues. "Char" is to
burn, or reduce to coal or carbon, and "coal"
is term referable to all black substances.
Charcoal means, literally, wood reduced to
impure carbon by expelling the volatile mat
ter. In the early history of the iron trade
it was an ingredient of thefrst importance.
Our present name for fossil coal is borrowed
from this material. Whenmade from beech
wood it was called "beech coal" Carbon
izing wood is very ancient, as it was desert
bed in detail in the works Of a Greek author
who wrote 300 years B. G. Pliny reports
that at this time to make charcoal the wood
was stacked up in pyramids and covered
with clay or plaster, which was pierced in
various places to allow the smoke to escape.
The ancients evidently knew how to make
charcoal, and were familiar with its proper
ties and uses. The Chinese who have singu-
larly perfected many branches of industry,
carbonize wood in subterranean furnace
provided with two openings, one to serve as
chimney and the other for ventilation.
When the subterranean furnaceis filled with
wood piled up vertically, it is covered with
twigs and branches of trees, and lastly earth.
1t is then ignited at the openings, anda soon
asthe smoke comes offin sufficient abundance
the valves are closed SO far as to leave only
a very small opening. Five days after the
fire has been ignited the smoke commences
to clear up, and finally to become perfectly
transparent, in proof that the combustion
of all the volatile ingredients of the wood is
complete When this point is reached
every outlet is hermetically sealed, and in
the course of six days more the contents
of the furnace will be found to be sufficiently
cool to admit Of the removal of the charge.
The Chinese method is one of extreme
simplicity, and furnishes thirty to thirty-fve
per cent. of hard, resonant charcoal, and is
a great Improvement on the processes fol-
lowed in this country and Europe. In the
Eastern States for more than one hundred
years the forests on the hillside have been
despoiled of their trees, and great quantities
of charcoal have been made for use in the
manufacture of charcoal iron. So muchin-
jury has been done to the country by the
ruthless manner in which this work has
been done that it is question whether all
of the iron manufactured can compensate
for the damage IF the person who first
invented charcoal had dug down into the
bowls of the earth and brought to light
the coal buried there and had never discov-
cred how to carbonize the wood, it would
have been an untold blessing to the beauty
of our forests, irrigation of our soil, and to
the many stories that have been woven
around the charcoal camp-of monarchs in
disguise, seeking to escape pursuit; of out
laws fleeing from the myrmidons of the
law; of huntsmen abducting children
of gnomes and wood spirits and kobbolde;
of hermits and sanity men = affording a
confusion of history, superstition and reli-
gion, which lends to the depths of the for
ests a charm peculiarly its own. Charcoal
burners, as a rule, are rude set every
where, living, as they do, apart from the
dwelling of men, often in homes not made,
with hands, out of the reach of schools.
In "oldentimes" charcoalburners were
called colliers, an occupation which furnish
ed the family name Collier, Collyer and
Colyear. Some years ago it was discover
ed that wood charcoal removes offensive
smells from animal substances, and counter
acts their putrefaotion. This property has
p SssS ssSR9iag s.s :.;.'ass sEs SSSR!ss,s
sewers and maaFff maaFf 1aansd9offies. and Some gases are
absorbed to large extent; for example,
one volume of fresh charcoal will absorb
ninety volumes ammonia, ffty-fve volum-
es of sulphureted hydrogen, thirty-fve volu-
mes of carbonic acid, and 1.75 volumes of
hydrogen. Charcoal also absorbs consi-
derable quantity of water from the atmos-
phere.
Charcoal is one of the most indestructi-
BILE substances in nature which has been
known from the earliest times. The
Romans charred the stakes which were
used for the construction of bridges, and
after lapse of nearly 1000 years, the
remains of the woodwork in the foundation
of the famous bridge built by Caesar over
the Rhine have been perfectly well preser-
we'd. Most of the houses in Venice stand
on piles of wood which have all been pre-
viously eharred for their preservation.
Charcoal being perfectly non-volatile
and possessing no affinity for any other
element at ordinary temperatures, forms the
most lasting ink possible, and papyri pen
ned with carbon ink are as legible and per-
feet rs On the first day they were written.
Charcoal is also conductor of electricity,
and is thence used to surround the earth
terminals of tightening conductors. For
making charcoal crayons the willow is the
best wood that can be employed, as it is
uniform in its texture and degrees ofhard-
ness and softness.
When charcoal is required for medical or
chemical purposes it is recalcined in close
vessel, washed with acids and water, aud
carefulley dried and ground. For making
gunpowder-charcoal the lighter woods, free
of resin, such as the willow, dogwood and
elder, answer best, and in the carbonization
care is taken to let all of the vapors escape.
OF the different kinds Of wood, lignum
vitae yields the largest quantity of charcoal,
the Norway pine the smallest quantity.